miami-dade county’s preserves - bugwoodcloud · 2016-01-06 · staff vine (celastrus paniculatus)...
TRANSCRIPT
Miami-Dade County’s Preserves
Jane Griffin Dozier
Miami-Dade County Park & Recreation Department
Natural Areas Management Division
Invasive Species Programs • Environmentally Endangered Lands (EEL) Program established in 1990 through a
voter-approved two-year property tax increase, to “…acquire, preserve, enhance,
restore, conserve, and maintain environmentally endangered lands ….”
• Natural Areas Management (NAM) Division established in 1991 to “…restore, protect, and manage Dade County’s naturally occurring plant and animal communities…”
• EEL has acquired more than 21,000 acres to date; Parks has almost 5,200 acres of preserves.
FUNDING:
• EEL Acquisition Trust Fund and Management Trust Fund
• Various partners/grants through the years: State of Florida post-hurricane grant, Safe Neighborhood Parks bond, private donors, Save Our Rivers, SFWMD, CARL, Preservation 2000, Florida Forever, FCT, FFWCC, USF&WS, SAMP, DERM’s Wetlands Trust Fund and Tree Trust Fund
Invasive Species Program Habitats: Pine rockland Rockland hammock Scrubby flatwoods Freshwater wetlands Coastal wetlands • Preserve sizes: 4 acres – several thousand acres • Numerous management challenges • Six field crews spread over 90 preserves • Greatest labor expense goes toward treating exotic vegetation
Priority Plant Species • Priority Plants
All FLEPPC Category I and II species - Our current top species:
Melaleuca (Melaleuca quinquenervia),
Brazilian pepper (Schinus terebinthifolius)
Australian pine (Casuarina spp.)
Old world climbing fern (Lygodium microphyllum)
Shoebutton ardisia (Ardisia elliptica)
Burma reed (Neyraudia reynaudiana)
Umbrella tree (Schefflera actinophylla)
Air potato (Dioscorea bulbifera)
Sewer vine (Paederia cruddasiana)
Rosary pea (Abrus precatorius)
Jasmine (Jasminum spp.)
Exotic black mangrove (Lumnitzera racemosa)
• Newly Detected Plant Species
Yellow cowhorn orchid (Cyrtopodium polyphyllum or flavum) - pinelands
A terrestrial orchid - Eulophia graminea - pinelands
Jaragua (Hyparrhenia rufa) - FLEPCC Cat. II – pineland edges
Cudjoewood (Bonellia macrocarpa) – Matheson coastal berm
Staff vine (Celastrus paniculatus) – Matheson
Exotic persimmon (Diospyros maritima) - Matheson
Mickey Mouse plant (Ochna serrulata) – Matheson
Exotic black mangrove (Lumnitzera racemosa) - Matheson
Priority Plant Species
Priority Animal Species
• Priority Animals
Burmese python
African rock python
Boa
Tegu
Nile monitor
Various iguanas
Cats
• Newly Detected Animal Species Tegu
African rock python
Fiscal Year Treatments: Oct. 1st, 2009 – Sept. 30th, 2010
VEGETATION:
• Attempt to do work at all preserves each fiscal year - ongoing
• This fiscal year, have treated 1,980 acres at 63 different preserves (through June 2010)
• Final quarter, crews will concentrate on upland preserves (pinelands & hammocks) – likely another 500-600 acres
EDRR at Matheson Hammock Park Targeted sp: Lumnitzera racemosa Escaped cultivation at FTBG into adjacent mangrove habitat - discovered 2008 ECISMA partners searched, mapped, & are now treating Funding: FFWCC grant & EEL
South Dade Wetlands Total project area = approx. 55,000 acres, both freshwater & coastal wetlands To date, more than 18,000 acres acquired Miami-Dade partners with SFWMD on acquisition & management
South Dade Wetlands This fiscal year, treated: Approx. 487 acres by Miami-Dade NAM crews Approx. 417 acres by SFWMD crews, & still working Priority was shoebutton ardisia and Lygodium
Shoebutton ardisia (Ardisia elliptica) Labor-intensive to treat Initial treatment can cost > $10,000/acre
Get it before it gets you!
Fiscal Year Treatments: Oct. 1st, 2009 – Sept. 30, 2010
EDRR - African rock
python
Known to be in vicinity of
County’s Tree Island Park,
& Trail Glades Gun Range
Surveys conducted in
January (ECISMA) &
February (Miami-Dade &
SFWMD)
Yikessssssssssssssss!
African rock python
Captured Jan. 12, 2010
440 cm long (> 14 ft.)
59 cm girth (21 inches)
62.96 kg (138.8 lbs.)
Yikessssssssssssssss!
African rock python
Captured Jan. 12, 2010
440 cm long (> 14 ft.)
59 cm girth (21 inches)
62.96 kg (138.8 lbs.)
Fiscal Year Treatments: Oct. 1st, 2009 – Sept. 30, 2010
EDRR - Tegus
Known to be in
vicinity of County’s
South Dade
Wetlands & Navy
Wells Pineland
Preserves
Ongoing trapping
efforts with NPS,
FFWCC, USGS,
Miami-Dade, &
researcher
Tegus, and more…
Planned Treatments: Oct. 1st, 2010 – Sept. 30th, 2011
Ongoing…
Exotic vegetation control
on all preserves with
funding
Continuation of tegu
trapping efforts, African
rock python surveys,
working on an Iguana
Management Plan
Monitoring
• Routine inspections by Preserve Managers &
observations by crews On the lookout for new occurrences, both plant & animal
• Partnership with Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden
Ongoing research projects:
Adaptive Management – Fire in Pine Rocklands
Burning, Scraping, & Native Seed Sowing as a Restoration Tool in
a Disturbed Pine Rockland
Digital Aerial Sketch Mapping
South Dade Wetlands
Melaleuca coverage:
Approx. 155 acres
Success story!
Digital Aerial Sketch Mapping
South Dade Wetlands
Brazilian pepper coverage:
Approx. 1,768 acres
Typical here in areas of past agricultural activities
Digital Aerial Sketch Mapping
South Dade Wetlands
Australian pine coverage:
Approx. 5,423 acres
Majority (70 %) estimated to be at density of < 5 %
Digital Aerial Sketch Mapping (well, not exactly)
South Dade Wetlands Old world climbing fern Total extent & acreage undetermined, but approx. 20 acres known Widely scattered occurrences
Innovations and Successes
• Frontline expertise
• NAM is working on a treatment manual
THE PIT 1992 Lots of experience
Innovations and Successes
Volunteer Workday Program
Outreach
Engage mostly school-age kids
Various activities
Earn community service hours for school
So far this fiscal year: 1,396 volunteers!
Needs & Gaps
• Biologist solely devoted to wildlife issues
• More reconnaissance – both in the air & on the ground
• Lygodium bio-control in South Dade Wetlands
• Research related to characteristics that make a habitat more subject to invasion
• Research related to what we can do about modifying those characteristics
Questions?
Invasive Species Programs
• {Task Name-- e.g., Removal of Aquatic Growth Program}
• Description – {e.g., Removal of floating and submerged weeds using chemical,
mechanical and biological controls}
• Objective – {e.g., Keep federal waterways free of aquatic vegetation for navigation,
flood control and environmental stewardship}
• Partners – {e.g., SFWMD, FDEP}
• Start/End Dates – {e.g. Jan 1, 1901 – to date/on-going}
• Status – {choose one of following: assigned, unassigned, removed, postponed,
completed or other}
• Funding (FY): {indicate current funding level for this task}
• Annual Summary – {total acres of plants treated or # of animals removed}
Invasive Species Programs
• {Task Name-- e.g., Removal of Aquatic Growth Program}
• Description – {e.g., Removal of floating and submerged weeds using chemical,
mechanical and biological controls}
• Objective – {e.g., Keep federal waterways free of aquatic vegetation for navigation,
flood control and environmental stewardship}
• Partners – {e.g., SFWMD, FDEP}
• Start/End Dates – {e.g. Jan 1, 1901 – to date/on-going}
• Status – {choose one of following: assigned, unassigned, removed, postponed,
completed or other}
• Funding (FY): {indicate current funding level for this task}
• Annual Summary – {total acres of plants treated or # of animals removed}
Invasive Species Programs
• {Task Name-- e.g., Removal of Aquatic Growth Program}
• Description – {e.g., Removal of floating and submerged weeds using chemical,
mechanical and biological controls}
• Objective – {e.g., Keep federal waterways free of aquatic vegetation for navigation,
flood control and environmental stewardship}
• Partners – {e.g., SFWMD, FDEP}
• Start/End Dates – {e.g. Jan 1, 1901 – to date/on-going}
• Status – {choose one of following: assigned, unassigned, removed, postponed,
completed or other}
• Funding (FY): {indicate current funding level for this task}
• Annual Summary – {total acres of plants treated or # of animals removed}
Invasive Species Programs
• {Task Name-- e.g., Removal of Aquatic Growth Program}
• Description – {e.g., Removal of floating and submerged weeds using chemical,
mechanical and biological controls}
• Objective – {e.g., Keep federal waterways free of aquatic vegetation for navigation,
flood control and environmental stewardship}
• Partners – {e.g., SFWMD, FDEP}
• Start/End Dates – {e.g. Jan 1, 1901 – to date/on-going}
• Status – {choose one of following: assigned, unassigned, removed, postponed,
completed or other}
• Funding (FY): {indicate current funding level for this task}
• Annual Summary – {total acres of plants treated or # of animals removed}